Please answer the following question using the short story (2 pages) attached.

Why was the stranger in a hurry to leave? What was he afraid of? And did you think the king was wrong for what he did to the stranger? Why?

The Wise Wizard There was once a wizard who lived deep in a forest. His life was very lonely. The people he ever saw were travelers, journeying through the forest on their way to somewhere else. The wizard looked forward to these meetings. He preferred to live on his own, but it was nice to see a friendly face sometimes. In winter, when the paths were clogged with snow and traveling was hard, he often did not see a soul for three months together. One winter's night, when the wind howled around his windows, the wizard heard an urgent knock on the door. At first, he ignored it, assuming that it was the branch of a tree or one of the other woodland sounds that come on a windy night. But the hammering came again, and this time there was no doubt about it. The wizard was very surprised. Surely the weather was much too bad for anyone to be out on a night like this? The wizard went to the door and opened it just a crack, not because he was worried about who might be outside, but to stop the wind howling into his home and blowing his papers from this week to next. But as soon as the wizard it was pushed roughly open, and a menacing figure in furs and skins strode into the room, as the icy wind blasted past him and flurries blew up around the open doorway. By instinct, the wizard pushed the door shut again before he turned to his visitor. He did not feel afraid, but he certainly was wary and careful in what he said "My name is Arbriet" He said, "May I have the honor of knowing your name?" The stranger growled "It is none of your business", but he said, "Give me some to eat." The Wizard looked carefully at the man. He could see that he had lived a rough life that had furrowed his brow and greyed his hair. He looked half dead with cold, and there was paleness about his skin that made the wizard wonder if he was The wizard also noticed that the visitor carried both a sword and a mighty ax, hanging from his belt. He had no doubt that the man would not hesitate to use them. So, he went to his store cupboard and brought out bread and cheese. Then, he filled a bowl with a soup that had been bubbling on the stove and put it before the hungry man. The man ate as if he had not seen foods for weeks, as indeed he had not. When he had finished, he laid back in his chair, exhausted, although the wizard noticed he kept one hand on his ax handle at all times. "Have you been traveling long?" asked the wizard. "None of your business" replied the stranger again, and he promptly fell right off the chair and collapsed onto the floor. His eyes were closed and his breath came shallowly, as the wizard bent over him. Eyebright could see that his first guess had been right. It was not simply cold and starvation that ailed that man. Gingerly, the wizard pulled off the sick man's great fur cloak. He gasped when he saw the deep wound in the stranger's shoulder. Now Eyebright was not the kind of wizard who does spectacular spells or makes himself disappear. He was an everyday sort of wizard, who knew a great deal about wild plants and herbs and the movement of the stars. He had studied for years to learn the secrets of living things and the world around him. As a result, he was a very wise man. Fortwo months, the wizard looked after the man who had come in from the storm, during that time, the man was hardly ever conscious. In his dreams, he mumbled about battles fought and chances taken. The wizard was not at all sure that he could save the stranger's life. Very gradually, however, the man improved. His sleep became quieter, and his head tossed less violently upon the pillow. The wound in his shoulder was healing slowly, and the spoonful of soup that the wizard had patiently dripped between his lips had given him new strength. One day, watery sunshine flooded into the wizard's home. Outside his door, he picked the first small bunch of snowdrops and put it in a little pot by the stranger's bed. For the first time, the man opened his eyes and seem to understand what he could see. As his gaze fell upon the delicate white flowers, his lips trembled into a tiny smile. But as the man stared around, his fierce manner returned. He scowled and struggled to sit up. "Where am I, and who are you?" he demanded, staring at the wizard again. "You came to me two months ago. You were cold and starving, and you had a dreadful wound in your shoulder. I have cared for you as well as I could, and I think that if you are careful, you will now recover. The stranger was silent for a moment. "Has anyone been here?" he asked, "Who knows I am here?" "No one," said the wizard. "The weather has been too bad for travelers to venture through the deepest parts of the forest. Now that spring is on its way, we shall see more visitors along the path." At that, the stranger started up, wincing with pain as he staggered to his feet. He reached for his fur cloak, searching wildly for his sword and ax. "They are here," said the wizard holding up the weapons, but you should not rush off so quickly. You still need rest and shoulder to heal properly. If you go now, I cannot guarantee that all will be well. With a great howl, the man leaped at the wizard, wrenching the sword and ax from his grasp and hurling him to the floor. Then he dropped to his knees and held the blade of the sword across the wizard's throat. "If you tell anyone I have been here," he said, "I will come back one dark night and kill you. Or shall I finish you know?" There was a long moment of silence as the sharp sword blade dug into Eyebright's throat. At first, the wizard could hardly breathe, he was so frightened. Then he looked into the angry stranger's eyes and began, very softly, to speak. "You are a brave man," he said. "From your appearance and the few words I understood you to say while you were ill, I take it that you are a soldier. That is something to be proud of. So, I must ask you, my friend, what are you afraid of?" For a split second, fury rose in the stranger's eyes, then he released the wizard and pulled himself slowly to his feet. He let his sword drop on the floor and moved painfully over rced my heart," he said. "I am not a soldier, friend, I am a brigand. make my living by stealing from travelers in the forest. I have killed men, and I have robbed those who could not afford to lose so much as a halfpenny. Oh, I was a soldier once, but I lost one battle after ten years of fighting for my king, and I was punished. After that, my heart became bitter. No one showed kindness to me, and I showed mercy to no one ... until I met you. There is a price in my head. Sooner or later someone will kill me for my price, and that is all I deserve." The wizard smiled at the stranger. "And do you plan to continue in your old life, when you leave here?" he asked, pouring a drink for the visitor. "No," said the man, "for my heart is no longer in it. You have reminded me of the way I used to live, trying to do what is right, helping people where I could. I cannot go back to stealing and killing now. But it is too late for me. The next traveler to pass will recognize me, and it will all be over. The king's men will cut me down." "You are too weak to travel at the moment," said the wizard, "but I feel sure that you could make a new life for yourself in another country. In the meantime, I think I know how we can make sure that no passer-by recognizes you." And that is why when travelers stopped for a drink and a crust of bread at the wizard's door that spring, they found the wizard seem taller and stronger in his robes, though he was as kind and welcoming as ever. In midsummer, the wizard and the brigand parted company. No one would have recognized the clean-shaven man in forest green who strode along the path towards a new life. The wizard watched him go with a smile. Then he went back to his quiet and sometimes lonely ways. To this day, he is wise enough to see some goodness in everyone he meets, and somehow, that means that there is simply more goodness to go around